“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” — Ralph Nader
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” — Theodore Roosevelt
I was an executive for over 22 years, and I've seen a pattern that never fails:
A senior leader announces a bold, game-changing initiative with great enthusiasm. They say it will drive efficiency, boost innovation, and revolutionize the way we work! The slides are sleek, the messaging is polished, and the rollout plan is... well, aggressive.
There’s just one problem.
No one actually wanted this project. Not the employees, not the managers, not the people who will have to implement it. Why? Because no one asked them what they needed in the first place.
This isn’t a failure to deliver projects—it’s a failure to deliver the right projects. And yet, it keeps happening. Over and over again. Why? The attitude of some leaders. Let's explore that!
1. They Think Their Job Is to Decide, Not to Engage
Many senior leaders assume that being in charge means they already know what’s best. Instead of asking “What would actually help you?”, they announce “Here’s what we’ve decided you need.”
Rolling out a project without consulting the people who have to use it is a surefire way to get blank stares and silent resistance. Engagement isn’t just a formality—it’s how you avoid launching initiatives that people will ignore until they quietly disappear.
2. They Don’t Actually Know How Projects Work
You might not want to hear it, but it’s true. Most senior leaders don’t have any formal project management training—they’ve spent their careers making big decisions, not managing execution. So when they hear about concepts like stakeholder engagement, risk management, or iterative planning, their response is often, “We don’t have time for all that. Just get it done.”
The irony? Skipping these steps is exactly why so many of their initiatives manage to be both over budget and behind schedule, but also unwanted!
3. They Confuse Compliance With Commitment
Leaders often assume that because they’ve issued a directive, people will just fall in line. Sure, employees might nod along in meetings and send an obligatory “Looks great!” email. But deep down? They’re waiting for the project to fail so they can go back to business as usual.
The truth is, compliance isn’t the same as commitment. If people aren’t invested in the change, they’ll find ways to work around it—or more likely, outlast it.
4. They Prioritize Urgency Over Effectiveness
I’ve seen this one too many times: leadership comes up with an ambitious new project and wants it implemented yesterday. Taking the time to engage stakeholders? Too slow. Phased rollouts? Not aggressive enough.
So instead, they push projects through at breakneck speed, assuming that any problems can be fixed later. However, later usually involves cost overruns, missed deadlines, and emergency meetings where everyone pretends they didn’t see it coming.
5. They Mistake Fear for Agreement
A senior leader announces a big project, asks if there are any concerns, and is met with silence. They take this as unanimous support.
What’s actually happening? Everyone is too afraid to say, “This is a terrible idea.” Stakeholders already see the iceberg ahead—but since they weren’t consulted in the first place, they’re just bracing for impact.
6. They Set Their Teams Up to Fail
Here’s what happens when a project is imposed from the top down: teams do their best to make it work. People aren’t sitting around actively resisting—they’re putting in the effort, trying to adapt, and making adjustments on the fly.
The problem? Leadership didn’t give them the resources, time, or proper input to make it successful. So despite their best efforts, the project stalls out, falls short of expectations, or creates new problems that didn’t exist before.
Then, instead of asking, “Did we engage the right people?” leadership asks, “Why can’t our teams execute properly?”
And the cycle repeats.
This cycle isn’t inevitable—leaders who recognize these patterns can break it. But it takes a different mindset.
Listen before you launch – Engaging stakeholders isn’t just a box to check. It’s how you make sure the project actually works.
Slow down to speed up – Rushing projects without buy-in only guarantees failure faster. Take the time upfront to get alignment.
Create real accountability – Leaders should be measured not just on launching initiatives, but on whether they actually succeed. This is a huge failure that I'll explore in a later post.
Until then, we’ll be stuck in the same cycle: Project announced. Project resisted. Money spent. Project quietly abandoned. And six months later? A new leader will propose the exact same idea, but with a different name. Until leadership is held accountable for real outcomes, this cycle will continue—only the buzzwords will change.
Coda
I don’t use social media to broadcast my political views, and I sure wish others would take the same approach. I keep personal connections here to stay in touch with former colleagues, neighbors, and friends—not to wade through endless reposts of political noise disguised as deep insight. It’s not. And it certainly doesn’t change anything.
What it does do is make me question whether the connection is worth keeping. My line is simple—insult me or my family, and I’m done. I respect differing political views, but if your approach is to declare that anyone who disagrees is a terrible person, consider this my exit.
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